My dad was a hard-ass.
Is it enough to even say that, in all the time I knew him before he died, I still didn't get to know him enough or understand him? He tucked a lot of shit away and didn't share. As a father, he really lacked some things. I understand; that kind of thing gets passed down.
But, as an artist, he did his best to pass on to me the secrets of the craft. Even though he never truly made his mark in that respect, he certainly tried to convey the importance of listening to your muse and going with that flow and surfing its waves onto the shore of the great unknown.
I've never quite known why the hell I'm bound to do what I do, but there's never been much of an argument as to why I shouldn't. It's never a question of wanting to. It's always a matter of simply how to make it happen and damn the consequences.
If you feel that way, then why don't you just do it?
If any kind of art is burning within you, regardless of why it's even an issue, then perhaps it's meant for you to pursue it. And if you're coldly calculating the artistry, well - you're dead in the water, mate. There is no heartless approach to this.
Where does this come from? Man, I'm only cracking the egg at this point; just wanting to lay some things out from a perspective. If you follow this blog, then you might just be a fertile bed of soil looking for a few seeds. Here's my contribution: go with it. Blow up and whirl like a haystack of ideas and let those ideas sink into the soil. Who knows? A bloom may sprout and form something in your heart. Wouldn't that be grand?
Who can even question why some people might find themselves possessed of the nature to expose, compose, repose and go to the ends of their abilities just to understand and comprehend the "why"?
Well, I just did - and why are you even reading this unless you want to do something about it? Don't bother unless you have the desire to move forward.
Art isn't something you "do." Art is something you "are." Modern times and media will pretend to associate the concept of expression with some kind of yearning, but honestly - it's in you already. Nurturing is the key - not some limp attempt to embrace an inner "you" that can only be expressed by the amount of pop culture knowledge that you cling to like a life preserver.
It can't be done alone. And the Feedback Fairy is waiting in more rooms than you even care to know.
Are you ready?
